A message to Pakistan

Will new US funding convince Islamabad to step up its activities against Islamic militants?

Washington's patience is wearing thin with Pakistan's ongoing reluctance to take a more aggressive stance against militant groups operating from Pakistan over the Afghan border.

This was the message conveyed to top Pakistani officials meeting in Washington DC.

The US says it expects Islamabad to do more in the fight against militants and has offered a military aid package of $2 bn to help achieve these objectives.

Is the US pushing Pakistan in the right direction? Will Pakistan act more aggressively? And can Islamabad expect US help on other fronts?

Joining the programme are Marvi Memon, a member of Pakistan's National Assembly, Julian Richards, a lecturer in Security Studies at Buckingham University, and David Pollock, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.